Act of Treason

It's a gorgeous autumn day in Georgetown. The Democratic candidates for president and vice-president of the United States are dutifully glad-handing voters and the media outside a grand estate where a national-security conference has just been held, bringing together the world's greatest minds to discuss the issues that are threatening the country. It's American politicking at its best. That's when all hell breaks loose.

Mitch Rapp is the irreverant, politically incorrect protagonist who you love to see in action, but cringe when it happens. Another of Vince Flynn's fast moving, fly by the seat of your pants action novels. For a Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp fan, its all you can ask for! Great fast read and well worth your time. If you look at the world through the commons sense, "whats wrong with doing it this way" attitude, then you will love this book. I found myself listening in the garage for a few minutes every time I had to get out of my car.

World Without End

In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, set in 12th-century England. Readers and listeners ever since have hoped for a sequel. At last, here it is. Although the two novels may be listened to in any order, World Without End also takes place in Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building their exquisite Gothic cathedral. The cathedral is again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge.

I first listened to Pillars of the Earth last year when it was in competition for listen of the year. The description almost drove me away, but since so many readers had rated it so highly, I took the bait. Glad I did!! After listening to Pillars it whet my appetite for medieval history/fiction and I went right to World Without End (WWE) and was not disappointed. Can be read as a stand alone or can be a follow up to POTE. EXCELLENT is all I can say. I remember getting home from work and listening in the garage for the next chapter to end. All in all a great listen!!

One Second After

Already cited on the floor of Congress and discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a book all Americans should read, One Second After is the story of a war scenario that could become all too terrifyingly real. Based upon a real weapon - the Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) - which may already be in the hands of our enemies, it is a truly realistic look at the awesome power of a weapon that can destroy the entire United States.

The story starts out great, gets bogged down in the middle...I suppose it was supposed to be character development, and then ends with no real conclusion. It may be a setup for a sequel, or it could just end right there...plausible, but looks like he ran out of time and had to get something to his publisher. Great premise, believable, left me wondering what next. It was an enjoyable listen and should have gone further along in the storyline.

The Jester

Hugh De Luc, a poor innkeeper, returns home from the First Crusade wearied from battle and disillusioned by carnage. After journeying from the Holy Land back to his own small village, he finds his nightmare is just beginning.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Since its publication over forty years ago, this heartwarming tale of a boy and his dogs has touched millions. A tale of adventure, special friendship and coming-of-age, Where the Red Fern Grows makes for delightful listening. This unabridged production, featuring a moving performance by Anthony Heald, brings this enduring classic to life and makes a powerful story even more unforgettable.

If you didn't read this book in jr. high, then it is worth a listen now. I read the book so many years ago, that I had forgotten that I read it. After listening for 15 minutes it all came back and I listened to the entire book. Great once again. Brought back fond memories of why I wanted a dog a kid and now why I love my dogs so much. Decent listen for a weekend at the cabin or a drive in the country.

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog

Ted Kerasote met and adopted Merle, a Labrador mix, while he was on a camping trip. Merle had been living in the wild, and after taking the dog home with him to Wyoming, Kerasote soon realized that Merle could not adjust to inhabiting exclusively the human world. So he put a door in his house to let Merle live both outside and in. A deeply touching portrait of a remarkable animal, Merle's Door explores the issues that all animals and their human companions face.

If you own a dog, you will love this book. If you don't own one, you will be tempted to get one. Kerasote gives you the "new owners" issues and how their family dealt with them. You learn to love the Merle, in spite of himself, and it is a portal into the lives of this couple as they adopt, grow and adjust to having Merle in their lives. Very touching story.

Cell: A Novel

The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve.

I WAS a dedicated Stephen King fan and have read lots of his stuff. We downloaded this book and took it to Jamaica to listen on the beach. I don't know if it was the heat on the beach or the Red Stripe, but that book was so predictable, and similar in plot to other King novels, that I am starting to think he is a "formula" writer. I listened, then deleted, and all I have to say is Ho Hum!! Nothing new, nothing special, not one of his best, and nothing memorable about it.

I just read Duma Key and that gave me renewed faith in King as a mystery/thriller writer and think that Duma Key is his best book in quite some time. So The Cell was a waste of time, but King can still kick out an interesting tale when he isn't writing a book a year.

Protect and Defend

The action begins in the heart of Iran, where billions of dollars are being spent on the development of a nuclear program. No longer willing to wait for the international community to stop its neighboring enemy, Israel launches a creative and daring operation that leaves a radioactive tomb in the middle of Iran's second largest city. An outraged Iranian government publicly blames both Israel and the United States and demands retribution.

Mitch Rapp does what each one of us would love to do and say. He is politically incorrect, socially insensitive, and most of all....extremely effective!

This book takes you into what could be the next middle east crisis currently simmering on the back burner. One of the best books I have listened to in 5 years of being an audible subscriber!!

I just wish audible has more unabridged versions of his book, because the true stories lie in the sordid details, and I don't see what you can leave out and still get the full effect of Vince's insight!

Maybe some of our fearless leaders in DC should consider his common sense, no-nonsense approach to solving a problem that no amount of diplomacy seems to be able to do!

Playing for Pizza: A Novel

Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In a championship game, to the surprise and dismay of everyone, Rick actually got into the game and then provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock and, of course, was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams. But against enormous odds, Arnie finally locates another team that will have him: the mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Playing for pizza was the most basic pizza I've ever eaten...no pepperoni, no cheese, no sauce, come to think of it, the crust wasn't even memorable! I left this book feeling like I came, I saw, I ate pizza crust, I went home. No surprises, shallow plot, not much in the way of character development. The best thing about it was the narration. As I was wading through the audible, I kept thinking to myself...ok, ok, ok...now something is going to happen. Only it never did!! If you have an extra 6 hours in your life that you want to waste, this book accomplishes just that. I didn't hate it, just nothing happened to excite me or intrigue me. A disaapointment to say the least!

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wriggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

John Grogan captures the essence of dog ownership. The initial joy of puppyhood, through the travails of adolesence, chewing, tantrums, jumping up, wild, yet comical behavior, and the gut wrenching decisions that ultimately fall upon all dog owners.

It is a great listen and John Grogan makes it all the more touching because you realize that he is going through this difficult time once again as he narrates the story. The story touches everything a dog owner experiences, from the embarassment of pooping where he shouldn't, doing the things that dogs do, but aren't socially acceptable by humans, to the lovable innocent look in their eyes when they look at you after they just shredded your shoes. Every dog owner will laugh and relate to most of the experiences Grogan talks about because it has happened to them.

A great listen, but you will need a box of tissues as he brings you to the ultimate difficult decision that he had to make for his best friend. A truly great listen, and painful if you have lost a "best friend". I had to pull over in my truck at the end of the book and dry my eyes. I then went to McDonalds and bought my dog a sausage and biscuit and we sat in the park and had breakfast together, realizing that one day I will be making that ultimate tough decision, and hoping that it will be far, far, far in the future!

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